Olivia did not speak for several seconds.<\/p>\n
She stared at Whitfield as if he had said something in a language she almost understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Eric?\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield\u2019s expression tightened. \u201cThe officer identified him from the footage after comparing the image with the photograph you provided earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t provide a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found his name while taking statements. His public profile contained several clear images.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Eric was home yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at her. \u201cAll day?\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened her mouth.<\/p>\n
Stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left around noon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat time did he come back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter six.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield glanced at me.<\/p>\n
Grandma\u2019s house was less than an hour from Olivia\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The timing worked.<\/p>\n
Olivia grabbed her phone.<\/p>\n
Dad reached toward her. \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled away.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet police handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband broke into Grandma\u2019s basement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m going to ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n
She dialed.<\/p>\n
Eric answered on the fourth ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice sounded ordinary enough to make the room feel stranger.<\/p>\n
Olivia put him on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere were you yesterday afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then: \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday. Noon until six.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His tone changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some things to take care of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlivia, what is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gripped the phone with both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you at Grandma\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence that followed was absolute.<\/p>\n
I watched Dad.<\/p>\n
He was watching Olivia.<\/p>\n
Mom was watching Dad.<\/p>\n
Whitfield was watching everyone.<\/p>\n
Finally Eric said, \u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Nobody needed anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou broke into my dead grandmother\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t break anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s voice rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went through a basement window.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was unlocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police have video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric swore softly.<\/p>\n
Olivia turned away from us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we talk when you get home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiv.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You explain it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour dad asked me to check something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every face turned toward Dad.<\/p>\n
He stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d better think very carefully before you start blaming me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not blaming you. You asked me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSunday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma had been dead eleven days.<\/p>\n
Olivia looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Eric to go into Grandma\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me to see whether Ruth had moved some papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad shouted, \u201cStop lying!\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield lifted his phone and began recording openly.<\/p>\n
Dad noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn that off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric said, \u201cWhat the hell is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s voice became unnervingly calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat papers?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cA box.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed hard.<\/p>\n
I looked at Whitfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad tell you where the box was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. He said there might be something hidden downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric,\u201d Olivia said. \u201cWhy would you do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then his voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we need the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mortgage. Cards. Everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t explain breaking into Grandma\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if I helped, you\u2019d get your share.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
He shook his head violently.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel said Amelia would fight the split if she found certain documents first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia stared at Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told him that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did Eric know there were documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s mouth opened.<\/p>\n
Nothing came.<\/p>\n
Mom stepped away from him.<\/p>\n
Eric said, \u201cI didn\u2019t find the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found the false wall,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He went silent.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe camera showed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat camera?\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded genuine.<\/p>\n
I looked at Whitfield.<\/p>\n
Interesting.<\/p>\n
Eric had not installed the exterior cameras.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you about the false wall?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou happened to discover it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw marks behind the shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you remove the panel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou disturbed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you leave anything there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about a camera?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat camera?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis conversation is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric, did my father promise you money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cFifty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom sat down.<\/p>\n
Dad looked as though someone had punched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lying son of a\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel,\u201d Whitfield warned.<\/p>\n
Eric raised his voice through the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said Olivia deserved half and Amelia would cave once the family leaned on her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt something cold settle inside me.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not merely a family assumption.<\/p>\n
A plan.<\/p>\n
Pressure me until I surrendered.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did say Olivia deserved half.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you offer Eric fifty thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric said, \u201cYou absolutely did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlivia\u2019s share.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no share.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said there would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
I could see her trying to absorb two betrayals at once.<\/p>\n
Her husband had broken into Grandma\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Her father might have sent him.<\/p>\n
She whispered, \u201cDid you know Grandma had changed the locks?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stopped moving.<\/p>\n
That detail mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d Whitfield asked.<\/p>\n
Eric seemed to realize he had stepped somewhere dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said Daniel told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Ruth changed them before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe replacement was not discussed with the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Whitfield said.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s eyes hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know every conversation we had.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth specifically instructed the locksmith not to disclose the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she told me afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad did not answer.<\/p>\n
Eric spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiv, please come home.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you looking for Grandma\u2019s box because of our debt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to fix things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase sounded familiar.<\/p>\n
Dad had used versions of it all day.<\/p>\n
Trying to save the business.<\/p>\n
Trying to protect the family.<\/p>\n
Trying to fix things.<\/p>\n
Every violation seemed to arrive wearing the same costume.<\/p>\n
Olivia said, \u201cHow much debt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric went silent.<\/p>\n
Her head lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much, Eric?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. We talked about thirty-eight thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiv\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout ninety.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNinety thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it is business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have a business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working on something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Olivia lowered the phone.<\/p>\n
Her face had become almost blank.<\/p>\n
I recognized the look.<\/p>\n
It was what happened when anger became too large to process at once.<\/p>\n
She raised the phone again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you put cameras around Grandma\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know someone had?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you talk to Tom Harlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric\u2019s silence changed.<\/p>\n
Dad heard it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI met him once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad moved toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you meeting Tom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he have your number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether Olivia had heard anything about Ruth\u2019s estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield\u2019s attention sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat specifically?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house. Papers. Whether Ruth had given Amelia anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Olivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell Eric Grandma left everything to me before Mom called me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad did.<\/p>\n
Whitfield did.<\/p>\n
Possibly Mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did Tom know about the will?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
Eric said, \u201cHe offered to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFifty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same amount Dad supposedly promised.<\/p>\n
Dad stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Tom tell you to break in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did he want for fifty thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me to tell him if I found a black notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin tightened.<\/p>\n
I looked at the notebook on the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s notebook.<\/p>\n
Olivia covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Eric continued quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was. I swear. Tom said it was some old family thing Ruth had taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward the back windows.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield asked, \u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the notebook survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus was still connected on my phone, silent until now.<\/p>\n
His voice suddenly came through.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Tom knew about the notebook, then he knew Rebecca recorded his plate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if he knew Ruth had the notebook, he had a reason to monitor the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cameras.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Eric\u2019s call.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Tom give you equipment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeys?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInstructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you the basement window was accessible?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad swore.<\/p>\n
Olivia whispered, \u201cEric, hang up and call a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at her.<\/p>\n
She wiped her cheeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen call the police and tell them everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiv\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can come get you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ended the call.<\/p>\n
For a long moment she simply stood there.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward the inheritance papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really did think Grandma was punishing me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you\u2019d gotten everything because you were her favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas I?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave a tired, bitter smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty almost made me laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut maybe there was a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere shouldn\u2019t have needed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t deserve to be lied to either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n
We did not hug.<\/p>\n
We were not there yet.<\/p>\n
But something shifted.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
His face drained instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Mom asked.<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
I crossed toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned the screen facedown.<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
I had seen the name.<\/p>\n
TOM.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitfield stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, if Thomas Harlan is contacting you now, that may be relevant to an active police investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
It buzzed again.<\/p>\n
A message appeared across the lock screen.<\/p>\n
YOU SHOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE NOTEBOOK WHEN I TOLD YOU TO IN 1999.<\/p>\n
Mom read it aloud.<\/p>\n
Dad closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
I felt every hair rise along my arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Tom tell you to destroy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad sat down.<\/p>\n
His voice came out hoarse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I found it in Rebecca\u2019s car before the police did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia did not speak for several seconds. She stared at Whitfield as if he had said something in a language she almost understood. \u201cEric?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cMy Eric?\u201d Whitfield\u2019s expression tightened. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3056,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040\/revisions\/3056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}